


A dream they dream together is a reality

by goldengoldies11



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dream walker, Dreams vs. Reality, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 11:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14055639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldengoldies11/pseuds/goldengoldies11
Summary: Choi Bomin is a dreamer. Every time he closes his eyes, he can see the world that is meant for him; a far-stretched meadow with a spring-like breeze in the air. One time, two times and it becomes a routine for him to be there; to call it as his home. He wants to explore every part of the dream could offer, until he sees something unusual at a far end. Never comes across his mind that he can walk into another dream. There, waits a person by the seaside with the sun shining above the horizon - who happens to be a dreamer, named Hong Joochan.





	A dream they dream together is a reality

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jangjoos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangjoos/gifts).



> this is inspired by a song, A Million Dreams by The Greatest Showman cast.

It all started from a dream, merely a dream in which he saw colours as soon as he closed his tired eyes for the night. Then, the dream came the night after and the night after that, and it went continuously for several nights until he began to recognize the green field that stretched as far as his eyes could see.

He grew familiar with the place until it became a part of his normalcy, where in every step he took on a land that only existed behind his closed eyes, he felt a sense of belonging – as if it were his second home.

And every time he was pulled out of the dream, he couldn’t hide the contentment and joy in his smile.

“Bomin-ah, get up! I’m not waking you up the second time, you’re on your own.” Donghyun said matter-of-factly before he walked out of the room that morning.

“Yeah, hyung!” he shouted back with much glee. Pulling the pillow beneath his head to hide a smile as bright as the morning sun, he knew too well that his day was going to be a great one – just like the previous days he had.

 

**********

 

No one knew about this. Well, no one really cared enough to know, except for his housemate Kim Donghyun. Not the whole premise of his dream, though, just tiny bits of detail here and there. Donghyun didn’t really mind joining him to talk about his dream, because he found it really nice to hear Bomin explain something so enthusiastically.

It was just like one of those days where sunlight slipped through cracks in the curtains, painting the plain, white walls of his room with a mixture of soft yellow and orange. Bomin woke up from his dream, feeling delighted, and opened his eyes to find Donghyun already in his room, sitting by a corner of his bed while focusing on the screen of his phone.

Stirring around on his bed to find the familiar warmth again, Bomin noticed a pair of eyes on him. “Good morning, Bomin-ah. Had a good dream last night?” Donghyun asked with curiosity when he saw a wide smile on Bomin’s face.

“Always been, always have.” He said, voice light and soft, and inched closer to the wall to allow Donghyun to join him on the bed. Donghyun gave him a smile in return before resting his weight next to Bomin, looking straight to the ceiling above them, ready for Bomin to paint that white canvas with all the colours he saw in his dream as per usual.

With Donghyun already resting comfortably on his bed and ready for their little adventure, Bomin began to describe his dream from the very beginning.

“When I closed my eyes, hyung, I could feel the firm ground underneath my feet. Then, I could smell the fresh flowers and hear the distinct sound of a flowing river. That’s when I knew I was there. So, I opened my eyes carefully and saw a clear meadow in front of me. The sun was shining there, but it wasn’t as blazing as it is in the real world – it was warm, a comfortable warm. And the clouds, hyung, I tell you, they were so close, I think I could reach it if I tried.”

Donghyun focused on the white ceiling as Bomin painted it with colours – the green meadow decorated with blossoming yellow and red flowers, the soft blue sky and the puffy white clouds above his head, the sun smiling at one corner of the picture; he tried to envision it as close to what Bomin described it to be as possible.

Donghyun felt contentedly happy whenever Bomin shared his dreams with him – a world that existed only when Bomin felt asleep. And Donghyun loved to spend the lazy Sunday morning listening to and imagining with Bomin on his adventure, exploring every part of his dream. Because it seemed like everything could possibly happen there. 

“Can you fly, Bomin-ah? Or maybe swim with fishes without the need for air?”

“I never tried it, hyung. But I thought of it a few times already.”

“Try it out. What could possibly go wrong? It’s your dream and you have the power over it.”

Donghyun might be right, but he might be wrong, too. There was only one way to find out, so Bomin tried nevertheless.

  

As he laid in his bed, he thought of the world he always dreamed about. There was a soft sensation at his fingertips, and when he ran his fingers through it, he felt the flower petals enriched in his sense of touch. Soon enough, he could smell spring in the air, welcoming his presence to the land covered in grass and filled with colourful flora.

He opened his eyes, took a moment to appreciate the world he thought of as his own. 

“It feels good to be back.” He expressed to no one in particular. 

The clouds moved along with him, trailing above his head wherever he took courageous steps to explore other parts of this dream. He spotted a cliff at one end and made run for it as if the two different dreams will be pulled apart if he didn’t grab the chance.

Whilst trying to catch his breath after successfully making it to the new dream, the new world, his eyes roamed around in excitement. 

There was no more green meadow and spring-like land surrounded him. The sun was still shining on the cloudy, blue sky though – a bit warmer, but he could see a vast-expansed sandy ground underneath him. The sound of waves breaking by the shore could be heard at a far end and he could feel the summer heat in the air.

He loved the spring – spring was his favourite season, after all, yet he couldn’t bring himself to love summer any less than that, despite the heat and the grassless land. After a moment of appreciation, he took his first step forward, heading towards shore where he spotted a cliff from the previous dream.

Sand filled in the spaces in between his toes and underneath his feet. The wind blew softly against his fringes and exposed skin. Everything felt brand new, and he loved every detail that this dream could offer.

But he came to a halt when he saw the form of a human standing by the seaside. Never in his previous dream had he seen another being of his own kind, so he was hesitant to carry on his little adventure. Despite harboring thoughts to return to his previous dream of spring, there was something that intrigued him, encouraged him to find out how this was possible.

And it seemed his existence was known when the person suddenly turned around and met his surprised, curious gaze. Shock would be an understatement, as it seemed to be – the person was also unable to believe what’s standing in front of him. Bomin was about to run away while he could, trying to wake himself up and escape to the real world, but the person walked towards him and screamed:

“What are you doing here?!”

Bomin couldn’t feel his feet – he was stuck in his position as if being controlled by some impossible force. He looked everywhere, from left to right and back to left, if he could find anything that he could use as a weapon. But it was to no avail. Being on a sandy beach gave him nothing more than just – well, the sand.

He was about to panic when the person was finally standing straight in front of him. Trying to register every curve and edge, from the person's head to their toe – he happened to be a guy, Bomin startled himself too when he poked one side of the guy’s cheeks to see if he was real or just an illusion his eyes interpreted. 

“Oh?! You’re real?”

Looking annoyed when Bomin kept poking his cheek, the guy swatted away the finger dismissively. “Hey, are you even listening to me? What are you doing here?”

Bomin blinked in confusion, eyes wide and open, when he got to see – to feel – to hear a person in this realm of imagination. It was his first encounter and it sparked his curiosity to know more about this person; how their dreams were able to connect to one another. Instead of answering the question which directed to him, Bomin let out a chuckle.

“I never met a person before.” Bomin gave out an explanation even when the guy didn’t ask for it. “This is new to me. I was so used to seeing meadows and flowers, I didn’t know this part of the dream existed.” He looked around again; expressing his appreciation towards the nature with arms wide open, feeling the sea breeze separating his fringes apart.

The guy folded his arms on his chest, still annoyed from being ignored and left unanswered. However, seeing Bomin’s wide smile as warm as the summer, he decided to drop the question and went along with the flow.

“So, what is it like on your side?” he eyed Bomin while rubbing his nape in an awkward manner. It was obvious how he tried to be friendly with the newcomer. “Since you said your dream is different to mine, what is it like over there?”

Bomin looked at the guy for a moment, softening his gaze when he saw a hint of genuineness mixed with curiosity in his eyes. Bomin imagined back the dream that belonged to him; an empty field of grass, rows upon rows of flowers in all varieties and colours, a flowing river that brings calmness and tranquility.

“Maybe next time, you can come over and I will show you around.” Bomin never failed to give the guy his favourite kind of smile, yet the guy had a different kind of expression on his face.

“I don’t think I can…” and the voice trailed off with the wind. 

“What do you mean? I don’t get it.” Bomin tilted his head to the side, trying to find any part of his brain that can digest the impossibility of this realm, because he always thought they had the power to control everything within.

“I can’t just walk into others’ dreams like you just did. I tried and I couldn’t.” The guy looked down on his feet which covered in the sand, feeling frustrated, and he turned around to head back towards the seashore. “I never thought I would meet anyone in this dream. I thought I was going to be alone whenever I’m here.”

One side of his lips stretched a little into a smile of relief, so small, so faint that Bomin could barely see.

Bomin wanted to follow the footsteps in the sand, but he thought it might be too personal to invade the guy’s dream any further. After all, he'd already invaded without permission, so it seemed right to turn around and go back to where he came from. Although he made up his mind, he wanted to be sure that he can make friends with the guy if permitted.

By then, there was a long-run distance in between them, from the sand where Bomin stood to the shore where the guy was heading. “Hey!” Bomin shouted over, hoped that his voice reached out to the guy despite the distance. “Can I come back tomorrow?!”

The guy, with the sun shining behind him from above the horizon, turned to return the smile Bomin gave earlier. “You are most welcome!”

 

**********

 

The second time Bomin stepped into the sandy ground and welcoming waves by the seaside, he didn’t come empty-handed. He brought along a handful of wildflowers from his dream and hoped from a corner of his heart that the guy would appreciate the effort. 

He was searching and looking around for a good minute before his eyes managed to catch a figure sitting on one of the big, flat rocks near the cliff. And so, he headed there with light, happy steps, to finally meet the guy. He had to climb up the rocks steadily to get to where the guy was sitting, and with the waves breaking in between the gaps of the rocks which made it more slippery, he had to double the effort.

“You really came…” said the guy as he reached out a hand to pull Bomin up. The guy was smiling so wide in relief, Bomin had to smile back in favour of a greeting. “Oh? You have something with you.” The guy examined the flowers in Bomin’s hold, surprised to see something that’s not in his dream, and his eyes followed as the flowers were placed at his hands.

“I brought it for you. Since you can’t walk into my dream, I thought of bringing a part of it to you.” Bomin shrugs with much effort to hide the embarrassment that started to heat the tip of his ears. He never done this before; be it in the real world, he never gave anyone a flower, let alone a handful of it.

There was a definite tinge of pink on the guy’s cheeks, and Bomin couldn’t help but to look away because the smile the guy wore when he appreciated the flowers was far too fond for him.

“So,” the guy broke the silence slowly creeping in between them and sat back comfortably at his previous place. He inched away to give Bomin some space next to him and Bomin joined in. “…tell me about this dream of yours.”

Without wasting any minute, Bomin was more than happy to share about his dream with the guy who grew on him as a companion. He tried his best to describe how wonderful his dream was; how the green, grassy land stretched as far as an eye can see, how the sun was shining on every petal of the flowers, how the clouds were fluffy and many in shapes and sizes – he tried his best, and he was glad to see how the guy was trying to work on his imagination to see it through.

“It sounds so relaxing to be there.” the guy said with a hint of envy in his voice, but Bomin shook his head, disapproving whatever compliment the guy wanted to say about his dream.

“Yours is equally relaxing too.” Yet, no matter how hard Bomin tried to comfort the guy, he didn’t look as convincing to the idea of it, because there was something Bomin didn’t know just yet.

“It’s not that relaxing, once this dream turns into a nightmare.” 

Bomin bit on his lower lip, regretting every word he just said. There was so much about this guy he didn’t know, yet he treated him as if they were already close. He looked up and ahead, where the sea was still calm, where the sky was still blue, and he tried to imagine what it would be like once the sea turned rough and the storm came, once the sky turned dark and the thunder blared. 

And he tried to imagine himself in this dream when it turned out like that. He knew, somehow, how lonely and frightening it would be, going through it alone with nowhere else to go.

So, he made a promise to himself that he will accompany the guy every night, in as many as he can find him.

Bomin felt a splash of water on his feet, bringing him out of his trance. He eyed the yellow sun above the blue sea, silently wishing that it would stay like this on behalf of the guy.

“I hope you don’t mind sharing your dream with me.” Bomin spoke up once he realized they have been quiet for far too long, with only the sound of crashing waves to fill in the silence.

“I’m happy to…” and Bomin tried to hold back joy once he heard this from the guy. He looked to the side, eyeing the guy properly, taking in his features with a small space in between them.

“I didn’t get your name.” Bomin said with an excitement in a form of a wide smile, as usual.

“You didn’t ask.” and the guy threw his head back, laughing contentedly when Bomin barked a surprised yelp at his reply.

“Well, okay. Hi there. You can call me Bomin. So, what’s your name?” Bomin introduced himself, putting much effort in trying to please the guy, and he enjoyed doing so when the guy seemed to relax a little, laughing so hard until his eyes turned into a shape of a crescent moon.

“Just call me Joochan – yeah, Joochan is fine by me. Nice to meet you, Bomin-ssi.” and the guy named Joochan held out his hand for a handshake which Bomin gladly took.

“Nice to meet you too, Joochan-ssi.”

 

**********

 

“So, after so many nights now, you still haven't gotten his last name and where he lives?” Donghyun managed to ask as he munched the food in his mouth.

“Hyung, it’s not that easy, okay? I’m not even sure if he’s – you know, real. As in if he exists in the real world or if he is just a fragment of my dream I create myself.” Bomin focused on poking the food in his plate with a fork instead of eating it. 

“What if he actually exists in this world? What are you going to do about it? Don’t tell me you’re not doing anything. Even a blind man can tell you have grown a massive crush on him.” Donghyun said indifferently, standing up to wash his plates at the sink.

“H-hyung!” Bomin was flustered, bewildered even, and his ears turned into a shade of bright red at Donghyun finding out about him having a crush on a guy he didn’t even know exist yet.

“Did I say something wrong? It’s true, right?” Donghyun walked over to stand behind Bomin, ready to wrestle him in a headlock. “Tell me it’s true. I’m not letting go until you admit it.”

Bomin coughed a few words incoherently and tapped on Donghyun’s hands to let him free. “Ack! Hyung… hyung! Yes, yes. I admit.”

“You better ask him if you see him tonight, okay? Don’t overthink and just go for it. It’s now or never, Choi Bomin.” Despite the seriousness in Donghyun’s voice, Bomin felt a pat of encouragement at his back before he disappeared behind a closed door. He knew his housemate would support him no matter what – Donghyun was always there for him since the very beginning.

When everyone turned their heads around, not interested to know about Bomin’s wild adventure and his not-so-secret rendezvous with this mysterious Joochan in his sleep, Donghyun was there, right next to his bed every morning, making sure that Bomin could share all the bits and pieces of his dream.

And Bomin did try his best to not overthink anything and just follow his heart.

  

After countless nights spent walking into Joochan’s dream, he could say that they had formed some sort of a bond so strong that he could no longer see the line which separated a friendship from something more. He couldn’t bring himself to ask, because being rejected after what he expected from them would be painful enough. As exaggerated as that might sound, he would never be able to recover from that heartbreak if it happens.

So, he set his heart as a guide when he stepped into Joochan’s dream. He looked at every corner of the beach while leaving a trail of footsteps on the sandy ground once he started walking. On top of the cliff, somewhere between the big, flat rocks, along the outskirts of the seaside – he looked everywhere, but Joochan was nowhere to be found. 

Just when he needed Joochan the most, the latter wasn’t there.

_Maybe he was not able to sleep._

_Or maybe he chose to not to._

_Or maybe he was scared to be here._

A sweat of panic trailed down on his neck as he started running around in no particular direction. He had one aim and that was to find Joochan in this dream. Anywhere that Joochan could possibly hide – behind a rock, inside of an undiscovered cave, beneath the sea, Bomin was determined to find him.

When he heard the blaring thunders coming closer to where he stood, he realized why Joochan wasn’t here. In a blink of an eye, the once-wonderful dream turned into a terrifying nightmare. The waves became bigger, showing no mercy as they broke by the shore. The blue sky was suddenly occupied with dark, huge clouds, and the calm sea turned rougher and darker, now seemingly dangerous for him to be so near the seaside.

And it started raining. A droplet, soon came a few and in a minute, rain poured down as heavily as his heart pounded in his chest. Bomin covered the top of his head, shielding his vision with his hands as he ran over to hide somewhere near the cliff. There was a dent of sorts on its wall, not large enough to call a cave, but the space was decent for Bomin to use as a temporary shelter.

He didn’t like this dream, or nightmare, or whatever it was; he didn’t like coming here to find himself alone, without Joochan next to him.

  

Since that night, Bomin didn’t have the strength to walk outside of his dream. His dream somehow became a safe haven for him, a zone where he could find all the comfort from the problems he faced. He knew, deep inside, that there was a part of him telling him to move his feet and get going, but he couldn’t.

Expectation was built just to be ruined; like how he felt like he belonged at first, only to know he wasn’t needed the second after. At some point, he just wanted to stop because he didn’t want any more of it.

Although he kept himself inside of his safe bubble, he didn’t quite enjoy it the same way he used to. His mind was somewhere else, his heart kept thinking and worrying whether Joochan was doing okay in his dream.

Bomin had to talk about this with Donghyun, and his housemate could probably give him an advice or simply an opinion.

“Well,” Donghyun started as he laid his head comfortably on Bomin’s pillow. Bomin looked at him expectantly. 

“No matter how you want to solve this, I think the best way is to talk about this with him. Be honest with how you feel, and be open on whatever he replies back.”

“Easy for you to say.” Bomin let out a heavy sigh, as heavy as the worry in his heart. But Donghyun smacked his arm hard enough for him to wince in pain.

“At least I’m trying to help here!”

“Sorry, hyung. I just – I don’t know what to do.” Bomin played with the sleeves of his pyjama, looking down at his fingers as his mind kept telling him how useless he was.

Donghyun fixated his eyes on Bomin worriedly before he pulled the younger guy to lie down close to him. “Okay, just this one time, you try to find him again and have this talk. If you can’t find him or if it turns out to be a nightmare, you just wake up. I’m here, next to you, so you’re not alone.”

Bomin took this offer more than gladly, and he snuggled into Donghyun’s smaller figure, trying to find the comfortable place in between his shoulder and his neck. He could feel Donghyun’s arms around him securely, metaphorically trying to protect him from anything that could do him harm and pain while on his quest.

“Now, sleep Choi Bomin. And dream of him.”

Bomin couldn’t feel happier being in Donghyun’s embrace like this, safe and secure. He closed his eyes, praying silently for any divine force up there to look after his favourite hyung, and may Donghyun also find the love that will fill his life with sparkles and fireworks, just like how found his in Joochan.

“Goodnight, hyung. And thanks.”

Donghyun hummed in response while softly stroking the back of Bomin’s head.

  

Knowing that Donghyun was sleeping next to him in the real world, Bomin felt a wave of courage guide him to step into the sandy ground once again. Because of the moral support Donghyun was providing him with, he felt the need to settle this before his courage slipped away.

After counting the nights he missed Joochan while settling in his dream of meadow and spring, being on the sandy beach was somehow foreign to him. A place so familiar, yet so distant to his heart. _‘There’s no turning back now’_ , he reminded himself as he walked hesitantly towards the shore, eyes looking down as the sand oozed through the spaces in between his toes.

The sound of the waves crashing by the shore became clearer with every step he took. Soon, he heard a voice calling out to him.

“Bomin!” The voice shouted from somewhere on his left. “Bomin! There you are! I’ve been searching all over for you?”

Bomin didn’t want to look up and face the guy – face Joochan. He was afraid that he may shed a tear or two because of guilt, and because he missed him a little bit too much. At least he tried to bring himself back here, that was much of the effort on his part, so he left the rest of it to Joochan.

“Bomin,” Joochan’s voice was low but gentle, worried that his choices of words could possibly hurt him in some way. For the first time, Bomin felt his hands being held by Joochan, and he noticed how shaky Joochan’s own were. Perhaps he was nervous and scared as well. Bomin spared a quick glance on Joochan, taking baby steps to face the guy after the many nights where he went missing.

“Bomin, hey, talk to me, please?” Joochan pleaded, wanting a two-way communication and Bomin felt guilty. Joochan didn’t do any wrong, he must have a reason why he didn’t come that night, right?

Bomin let out a frustrated sigh, feeling mad at himself for making things more complicated than they should be. “Joochan?” and the said guy was already looking him in the eye when Bomin brought his gaze up from the sandy ground. 

“I came to find you many nights ago, but you didn’t show up. I was left alone in this place when it suddenly turned bizarre. I thought I wouldn’t be able to see you again if I came the next day, and so I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

Joochan broke the gaze when he felt a tear dangerously forming at the corner of his eye. He pulled Bomin into a hug, a tight, secure hug because first, he didn’t want Bomin to see him crying, and second, he just missed Bomin so much.

“No, no. Bomin. I’m the one who should apologize. I’m sorry, I really am. I don’t know why I couldn’t sleep that night. I had so many things in my head, and it kept me occupied when I was overthinking things, and I just, I couldn’t sleep. And then, after that night, I kept blaming myself because you didn’t come. I knew I left you and I thought I was going to lose you, Bomin!”

Joochan choked a sob while trying to hide his face in the curve of Bomin’s neck. He inhaled and exhaled; with Bomin in his embrace, he was afraid to let go because he wanted Bomin to be with him for as long as possible.

Bomin didn’t know what to say; he knew no one was at fault, it was just a misunderstanding that was bound to happen at some point. With his hand stroking Joochan’s back, assuredly and soothingly, he broke the hug. “It’s okay. We’re both sorry.”

Joochan searched for something in Bomin’s eyes as he held their gaze and he found it. He knew he found it when he felt the first ignited spark in his heart. His hand slowly moved up to cup Bomin’s cheek, caressing it lightly before reaching to touch the end of Bomin’s lips. “We both wanted something, didn’t we?”

And Bomin broke the gaze, too shy to look at Joochan. He sent an answer of approval as he leaned into his touch, giving him his signal.

It was now or never, and before the sun could set below the horizon, before they could be pulled out of this dream and back to reality, Bomin closed his eyes as Joochan leaned in for a kiss. The kiss was gentle yet experimental, testing to see if taking another leap of faith in their relationship was okay. It was nothing more than a soft brush of their lips, but it was much more than they could ask for.

Eventually, Joochan broke the kiss, not because he wanted to – god, he would rather spend all the time they had left in this dream kissing Bomin. But instead, he was worried if Bomin felt uncomfortable. “Is this okay?” 

“It is perfect.” Bomin replied, before finding the courage to drop a chaste kiss at the corner of Joochan’s lips.

“I want to share this dream with you.”

“I want to be a part of it too.”

 

**********

 

There he was again, in Joochan’s dream. In the world filled with imaginations, either the sweetest dreams or the worst nightmares, where nothing seemed to have any limitations, any boundaries. Bomin wondered if there was a line that separated here with the real world.

He had the wildest idea, and it was to see if he could potentially bring anything from this world back with him to where he opened his eyes the next morning. He knew it was impossible, but he’d never tried before. What if he could? What if he had the ability to bring Joochan back with him to the real world – he wanted to show it to Joochan, wanted him to be a part of his world.

A part of his life.

What would it be like, living with Joochan in the real world? Bomin wanted to know, to experience how it felt – looking at his white ceiling and painting it with colors and stars with Joochan next to him, watching the sun shine its orange hue softly against Joochan the next morning.

Yet, Joochan brought him back to this dream, squeezing a secured grip at his hand as he gently slotting his fingers in between the spaces. Bomin knew nothing was perfect, not even when their fingers intertwined, but he appreciated every curve and edge where they fit together.

“What are you thinking about?” Joochan eyed Bomin worriedly, and that was when he realized, they were walking by the seaside. The waves came crashing at their ankles, leaving nothing but calmness. The sun was gone, leaving behind thousands of twinkling stars in the night sky. It was his first time coming here without the sun- he wished to the stars for Joochan to wake up next to him when morning came.

Bomin looked far ahead, somewhere at the end of the dark sea while Joochan stood beside him nervously. “I was wondering if I could bring you with me…” He turned to the side to find a surprised Joochan despite the soft gaze he was giving. “I know it sounds crazy, but if I can walk into your dream, maybe I can walk out with you.”

A smile formed at Joochan’s face, too fond and too personal, and it was meant for Bomin. He reached out to touch Bomin’s hair, playing with each strand as if he had all the time this dream could offer. 

“I want to show you my apartment, my high school, my favorite ice cream parlor. Oh, and Donghyun-hyung also wants to meet you!” Bomin shouted in excitement, didn’t realize how unrealistic his wish was. “Donghyun-hyung is so curious about you, and no matter how hard I tried to describe about you, I just couldn’t find the perfect words. You have to come with me.”

Joochan let out a chuckle. He would love to, but he knew they couldn’t walk into the dream and walk out with something in their hands. Anything in this realm stays within – it was meant to be that way.

His hand trailed down to Bomin’s cheeks, circling every word he wished to say but didn’t have the heart to. “I want to go back with you too, I want to meet Donghyun, this friend of yours. I want to live in your world.”

And his voice trailed off, blending in with the sound of waves crashing underneath. His lack of words was enough for them to know the impossible, but they wished to say the possible because they knew, even the thousands, millions of stars above them couldn’t grant their single wish.

They stayed quiet, hand in hand, not wanting to let go. It was painful for Bomin because he couldn’t find any words convincing enough for the both of them. So, he held his head down, let the tears roll down his cheeks until they disappeared with the waves. If he was a given a chance to grant a wish in his entire lifetime, he would wish for this.

“I want to be with you.” Bomin said, stuttering with every word as his lips shook in frustration. “I want you to be with me.” 

There was a moment of silence again as he felt a tight grip on their clasped hands. That was when he noticed Joochan was shaking as well.

“Hey,” Joochan’s voice was low, unstable and scared, as if he were trying to hold back tears from falling. “We can meet here forever, for as many nights as we want.”

However, Bomin had to disagree. He looked up to search for Joochan, search for the stars reflected on his teary eyes. “There is no forever, Joochan. Not in this dream, not in our real world. But I want to spend most of my time with you…”

“I know.”

Bomin mustered the courage before it was too late.

“I like you.”

“I like you too.”

And he was glad that he confessed. Because that was the last time he ever saw Joochan, the last time he ever dreamed.

 

**********

 

Ever since that night, Bomin had a hard time getting out of his bed in the morning; he just wanted to dream, to meet Joochan again. But no matter how hard he tried, he was only ever greeted with an empty, timeless realm when he got to spend the night in a deep sleep. The moment he tried to paint his dream on his white ceiling, he fell deeper into his sleep before the sun came to greet him the next morning.

And it had been this way continuously for so many times, he had given up hope. He missed Joochan so, so much, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Bomin stared blankly at the ceiling above him when he heard a soft knock on his door. Donghyun appeared behind the open door, carefully as to not disturb any moment Bomin wanted to spend on daydreaming.

“Hey, hyung.” Bomin greeted with a subtle smile on his face. Donghyun slowly walked towards the bed and lay down, when he was suddenly pulled to join in.

“How are you doing, Bomin-ah?” Donghyun was so careful with his words, to the point where it gave a blossoming hope in Bomin’s deserted heart. At least, he knew he would never be alone in the waking world. Donghyun had always been with him through the most, through all his ups and downs, and Bomin wished he could be by Donghyun’s side and do the same.

“I’m okay, I guess. Had a good sleep last night, as usual.” and Bomin chuckled. 

Although Donghyun knew how hard it was for Bomin, not being able to meet Joochan again, some part of him was happy. He took Bomin’s hand securely and drew circles on his knuckles with his thumbs. “I’m glad that you’ve recovered, Bomin-ah.”

“Yeah, me too, hyung.” Bomin smiled, looking at the ceiling as he pictured his dreams, every detail he remembered vividly. Knowing his condition in this waking world has improved after an accident he had a few months ago, Bomin was relieved that he didn’t have to depend on the prescribed sleeping pills to fall asleep.

He just wished he could still have those dreams when he recovered. Yet, he was aware, that he couldn’t have everything he wished for in life.

So, he closed his eyes, and he could picture how beautiful Joochan’s smile was with the sun shining above him, the wind blowing on his hair softly. He could feel a tug at his heart, and he knew how much he wished to see that smile again.

“Hyung?” Bomin asked after a quiet minute, and Donghyun hummed in respond. “Do you think he’s real? Do you think he exists in our world?”

Bomin felt a sudden tight grip at their clasped hands, and he could hear how pained Donghyun was with this question by listening to his voice. “Just like how real you are, I’m sure he’s real too.” Donghyun kept quiet for a moment before he continued. “He’s your dream guy after all.”

A trail of happy tears rolled down Bomin’s cheeks as he smiled. “A dream guy, huh? I like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this ;;;;; idk about this, but I hope you guys enjoy reading this. And thousands, millions of thank yous to eilianie for betareading this, it means A LOT to me ;;;;;


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